text: As far as keeping their customers satisfied, Web portals, search engines and news and information sites in the U.S. continue to improve but still have work to do, according to a report released Tuesday.Web portals, search engines and news and information sites, grouped collectively under the e-business category, got an aggregate score of 72.5 out of a possible 100 in this year's University of Michigan American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study of this market.That score falls short of the ACSI national cross-industry score of 74.4 and of the related e-commerce category, which includes online travel, retail, auction and brokerage sites and which got an 80.8 score in its last measurement.However, the 72.5 score represents an improvement for e-business companies from last year's 71.4 and from 2002's 68.7. The University of Michigan has conducted this study for e-business companies every year in the second quarter since 2002."E-business companies are doing an OK job of meeting customer needs and expectations but there's a lot of room for improvement," said Larry Freed, president and chief executive officer of ForeSee Results, an Ann Arbor, Michigan company, which specializes in customer satisfaction measurement on the Web and which sponsored the study.As Internet use continues to grow among people and businesses, it becomes more important for search engines, portals and news and information sites to provide high quality service to their customers, Freed said. E-business companies that fail at this will suffer the consequences, he said. "Customer loyalty and retention drive financial success," Freed said.Within this e-business category, the search engine segment scored the highest with 80 points, followed by the news and information site segment (75 points) and the portal segment (71 points.)The search engine segment, which scored the highest in customer loyalty, grew its score from 78 in 2003 and 68 in 2002. The news & information site segment scored 74 last year and 73 in 2002, while the portal segment scored 70 last year and 68 in 2002.Among search engines, Google lead the pack with 82 points, followed in a distant second place by Ask Jeeves with 71 points. Google, which led the search engine segment last year as well, saw its score remain flat from 2003, while Ask Jeeves raised its score by 2 points. A big customer-satisfaction issue search engines must continue to improve on is delivering focused query results that answer users' questions without forcing them to wade through hundreds of links to find what they're looking for, he said.Meanwhile, Yahoo topped the portals segment with 78 points, followed by Microsoft's MSN with 75 points and\u00a0AOL with 67 points. Companies group under the "all others" heading collectively tied for first place with 78 points. As with search engines, portals must continue to improve the way they aggregate and present information to their users, he said.Finally, the news and information sites category lacks a clear leader, since the highest score went to the collection of companies grouped under the "all others" heading with 75 points. Among Web sites with individual scores, MSNBC.com, ABCNews.com and CNN.com tied in second place with 74 points. The biggest challenge for companies in this category is establishing distinct online personalities to differentiate themselves from their competitors, Freed said. Right now, customer loyalty to these sites is low in general, he said.Freed acknowledged that the boundaries between search engines, portals and news and information are getting increasingly blurred, and that, accordingly, competition is also crossing frontiers. For example, Google has been adding features and services that put it in competition with portals, while Yahoo and MSN are likewise expanding into search engine territory, he said.


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Nexus One to Include Built-In Version of Spotify?
Spotify, the European music streaming startup which provides on-demand music streaming,Â may be closer to reaching an agreement with U.S. record labels for a launch on our soil. TechCrunch has received word that Spotify may launch in the U.S. under a free model; however, it might be made exclusive to a “limited number of people” at launch.
TechCrunch goes on to state they can confirm a conversation between Spotify and Google discussing the possibility of including Spotify’s Android app in Android 2.1 and launching with the Nexus One. Could this “limited number” of people to which TechCrunch refers be Nexus One owners?
Android’s native music player is basic, unrefined and, in this author’s opinion, in need of major improvement. With a pre-installed music service app such as Spotify included in the Nexus One and future 2.1 devices, Android would be given the boost it needs to counter one of the few remaining features the iPhone holds above Android’s head.
Would you rather have an Android device with a polished media player, like Sony’s Mediascape, or a native application providing instant music streaming ? Give us your thoughts in the comments!
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Rumors are abound about the status of HTC’s next flagship, the HTC Hima, also known as the M9. According to Digital Trends, Upleaks stated the Hima may arrive on the four major carriers
AT&T today announced that they will soon be offering the Sony Xperia TL later this year, timed with the release of the latest James Bond, Skyfall. As a U.S. variant of
HTC is working hard to keep their devices up to date and they are already working on Desire Gingerbread update and also on unlocked bootloader update for few devices. HTC

domain: news


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UFC 4 version 11.00 is now rolling out for PS4 and Xbox One players. According to UFC 4 update 11.00 patch notes, the latest update resolves issues related to crashing, lag, and more. Apart from this, UFC 4 patch 11.00 also includes stability and performance improvements.
Recently, the game was released with positive reviews. Unfortunately, since the release, players are experiencing several issues with the game. Today’s UFC4 version 11.00 will fix a few of these issues.
Check out more details here.
This month’s patch includes likeness updates for two current UFC Champions, Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou.
Added performance and stability improvements.
Added audio related fixes.
Fixed stuttering and lag issues.
Other fixes under the hood.
Download free UFC4 update 11.00 on PS4 and Xbox One.


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Coronavirus: Italy to reopen borders to EU tourists from 3 June in ‘calculated risk’
EU tourists will be able to travel to Italy without a mandatory 14-day quarantine from 3 June as part of measures to lift the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown.
The move, which will also apply to countries in the Schengen Area, came as the Italian government announced plans to ease travel restrictions to allow people to move freely inside the country from the same day.
In a bid to slow its epidemic, Italy was the first European country to impose strict nationwide restrictions in March and only allowed a slight relaxation of the rules on 4 May, when it allowed factories and parks to reopen.
Some regions had called for a swifter rollback of restrictions but Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, has insisted on a gradual return to normal due to fears of a second wave of infections.
However, on Saturday he outlined a further loosening of restrictions including a plan to open borders to travellers from Europe next month.
With shops as well as bars and restaurants due to reopen from Monday, the government also announced that people will no longer have to justify travel within their own region and will be able to meet friends as well as family.
"People will be able to go wherever they want - to a shop, to the mountains, to a lake or the seaside," Mr Conte said.
The announcements came as daily coronavirus deaths in Italy, which has the third-highest number of fatalities in the world, fell to 153 on Saturday, the lowest since 9 March.
More than 31,600 Italians have died from Covid-19 since February, putting Italy's death toll behind only the US and the UK.
Shops are due to reopen and movement within individual regions will be allowed from 18 May, meaning people will be able to visit their friends.
While large public gatherings will still be banned, church and other religious services can resume and museums and galleries will also be able to open.
Gyms, swimming pools and sports centres will reopen on 25 May, while theatres and cinemas can reopen from 15 June.
The further lifting of travel restrictions will not come into effect until after Italy’s 2 June Republic Day to prevent any mass travel over the long holiday weekend.
From 3 June, travel will only be restricted if an area is considered to be at high risk for coronavirus infections, a move which offers some hope ahead to the country's vital tourism sector ahead of summer.
Regions will also be allowed to reactivate all sectors of the economy, so long as strict safety protocols and social distancing measures are followed.
Restaurants will be able to reopen so long as customers are kept at a distance of one metre from each other, with mandatory face masks for both staff and customers when they are not sitting at tables.
Mr Conte said the decision to lift curbs was a "calculated risk", but added: "We're facing this risk and we have to accept it because otherwise we will never get started again."
Seven charts that show the true scale of the UK coronavirus outbreak
‘They can blame it for everything’: What coronavirus means for Brexit
The Americans who think that coronavirus is a hoax
Do you need a face mask and where can you buy one?
UK lockdown: Can I see my family and friends under new rules?


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The Impact of COVID-19 on India's Gaming Ecosystem
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on the economies of various sectors in our country. Despite this, the Indian online gaming market is poised to grow to $1 billion by 2021 as the entire sector has remained resilient and also seen significant growth during this period.
In Republic of Games by CNBCTV18.com and Akamai, Megha Vishwanath spoke to leaders in the gaming industry about the current trends in the ecosystem.
Significant Surge in Gaming During Lockdown
At the very outset, the lockdown significantly increased people's engagement with games. Therefore, every company had to do a great deal of ramping up and adapting at the back-end to support the increasing traffic.
Swapnil Shaha, COO of Games91, said, "There were a lot of gamers coming in from all across... we almost had got a 500% surge on traffic."
Sidharth Kedia, Group CEO of Nodwin Gaming, too reported a massive surge in gamers on his platform. In his own words, "...the numbers from last year to this year surged 19x..."
The idea that the last 5-6 months saw a greater surge than the past few years found consensus across the panel. Every platform had to do something different in order to reel in more gamers and sustain the increased traffic they were now seeing.
The ban on PUBG sent every platform back to their drawing boards. Speaking about the impact of the ban, Firasat Durrani, VC - Operations at Loco, said, "From one of the insights I saw somewhere, 64% of gaming content consumed on YouTube came from PUBG."
However, as a broadcast app, Loco saw a dip for only as much as a week, till most users moved on to other games. The ecosystem, in this case, had a way of bouncing back.
Challenges Faced by the Sector at Large
The gaming sector, just like every other, has had to find means and ways to cater to the sudden shift in working remotely, while building up the infrastructure to cater to increasing traffic.
Scaling, however, doesn't come automatically, as rightly pointed out by Sidharth Pisharoti, RVP, Media and Carrier Division, Akamai, “Not all games are successful. But all games that are successful definitely use the right kind of technology out there, the right partner that helps them to scale and secure their infrastructure and platform.” he said.
He also goes on to say, "Not all games are successful. All games that are successful definitely use the right kind of technology out there, the right partner that helps them to scale and secure their infrastructure and platform."
This planning also includes responding to security concerns, with DDoS attacks and credential stuffing attacks rising exponentially with the increased traffic and users.
A Sea of Changes
Currently, existing players are getting a head start. Plus, this is also a time where homegrown players have a chance to make an entrance.
However, it will be crucial to take care of the quality of service in terms of fast download speeds, a greater reliance on cloud technology while also incorporating localized content to appeal to a larger base.
During a time of significant changes, it's also essential to understand the difference between the Indian market from those abroad; Indian players prefer playing these games on their mobiles as opposed to their gaming PCs or laptops.
Additionally, these games need to cater to people much beyond the metropolitan areas as they've been gaining increasing popularity even in remote areas.
What Could the Future Look Like?
Gaming has seen various changes over the years, from the days of the cassettes to the smartphone ecosystem today. Looking ahead, we could see a way for gamers to continually improve their skills by playing against or learning from gamers whose skills they admire.
To this, Naman Jhawar, Senior VP - Strategy and Ops at MPL, added, "You will see professional athletes like a Virat Kohli or a Dhoni being created out of gamers as well... We're already seeing this in terms of smaller platforms..."
Additionally, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence will also have a huge role to play in revolutionizing the gaming industry. The right kind of technology is important for platforms to find success in the present and scale up. The 5G revolution will also have a vital role to play going forward.
Despite some major changes, the gaming industry has managed to steadily grow and increase players during this economic slump. This short span has contributed significantly to the ever evolving fast paced gaming sector.
This is a partnered post.
First Published: IST


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Adolph Dagan and his wife Kafui wanted to open up an international market after his military career in 2009. Dagan, as he is called by his fellow veterans, hails from Daganhoé in Togo, West Africa, a name that means Dagantown. Dagan African Market celebrated its first year in operation on July 20, 2020, the day of his birth.
Looking back over the year-long journey, the family celebrates and acknowledges their long hard journey to offer their 1,000 square foot facility to customers who have traveled more than 500 miles from as far as Alabama, Kentucky, and all parts Missouri and Illinois to frequent their establishment offering authentic foods, clothing, beauty products, artwork, and other great finds from the people of the Caribbean, Africa, and other international favorites.
Trained as a high school French teacher, the family saved thousands of dollars from 2009 to 2019 to start a business in the heart of a thriving community populated with active-duty military and their families as well as retired Veterans. Dagan and his family worked hard in order to prepare to take ownership of a premier African market that fulfilled the needs and expectations for the community of more than 250,000 residents in the Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Clarksville, Tennessee community. And all of the struggles turned out to be worth it as his company, Dagan African Market, Inc. became the first African market in the city.
One of the challenges in a military town is that many can open businesses, not many can maintain a revenue-generating establishment.
Truthfully, as Dagan continues to climb up the ladder of success, he and his family fully expect to become millionaires within 10 years. As they plan to open up a restaurant and increase their inventory. He and his wife and their children are also looking to incorporate an online store and even a direct custom order service for drums, wood pieces, and other original organic African artifacts.
With the family’s good reputation and dedication to customer service, Dagan and his family caught the attention of people who said, “These are a good family.” The family hopes to become the largest African and international store in the Tennessee and Kentucky area.
They are passionate about serving patrons and veterans from the islands, Africa, the Caribbean, Spanish and European nations. Dagan says if you want to succeed, you have to work very hard.
As a poor citizen of Togo, West Africa, Kafui and Adolph treasure their homeland and support churches and schools in their village of Daganhoé and Togo. They also collect school supplies, medical supplies, and clothes to send back to Africa and plan to establish a hospital and additional schools once their business hits the one-million-dollar revenue mark.
To get the best African artifacts around, connect with Dagan African Market at DaganAfricanMarket.com
For press inquiries, contact (931) 302-0787 or email@example.com


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Cannabis testing lab ProVerde Laboratories has been operating in Milford – at 420 Fortune Boulevard – for four years, ever since the state legalized the medical use of marijuana.
The company would love to jump into the recreational marijuana business, but it first needs to secure a host community agreement with the town.
“We've been struggling with that a bit,” said Founder Chris Hudalla.
The company and Milford have yet to agree on terms of an agreement but have been discussing it for about three months. According to Hudalla, that's because the town is asking for a very significant financial outlay of cash as part of the agreement.
According to Hudalla, industry advocates and lawmakers, ProVerde's situation is similar to other companies and entrepreneurs looking to jump into the state's newest industry as cities and towns ask for what they call exorbitant cash payments and services, which advocates say don't comply with the law.
For now, the Cannabis Control Commission won't review the agreements to ensure compliance with the law, as the state's adult-use cannabis regulating board voted 4-1 last month against a proposal by Commissioner Shaleen Title to review the documents.
In addition to a local 3-percent sales tax, the state law legalizing the use and regulated sale of cannabis says municipalities can ask for up to 3 percent of a marijuana establishment's gross sales as part of a community impact fee – provided the town can back up those requests with documented expenses.
However, many signed agreements reviewed by WBJ appear to include other payments in addition to that 3-percent cap.
“This issue is important because if no one enforces the limits, that undermines the explicit intent in the law to ensure that small businesses are included in the newly legal marijuana industry,” Title said via email. “There may be requirements for them to make payments that exceed the limits that small businesses can't afford.”
Testing labs like ProVerde have razor thin margins and are one of those businesses not able to afford impact fees, Hudalla said.
Besides, the facility located in an office park along a busy road has largely been a quiet neighbor. Essentially, the company owes the town nothing for additional services rendered as a result of its operations, Hudalla said.
“That excessive cost for us is basically zero,” Hudalla said.
Hudalla said the town kept asking for a similar kind of payment to the $250,000 annual fee agreed to with marijuana grower Sira Naturals. Town Administrator Richard Villani did not return a call seeking comment for this story.
“That might be 60 percent of our marijuana revenues,” Hudalla said.
After months of what Hudalla called frustrating negotiations, the company was informed the Board of Selectmen will discuss the company's proposed terms at its Sept. 17 meeting, but approval still isn't a done deal.
Moving the company or filing a lawsuit would be too expensive with no adult-use revenues, Hudalla said.
James Smith, a partner with Boston law firm Smith, Costello & Crawford said the young industry – which has yet to generate any revenue – is forced into contracts he feels aren't legal.
“We don't have any leverage on our side of the table,” said Smith, who represents two dozen marijuana companies.
More than 200 communities in the state have either banned or temporarily halted the industry within its borders in some capacity, and finding a city or town with pot-friendly zoning is hard enough. Companies only begin negotiations on a host community agreement after financial investments are already made on a location, Smith said.
“It's not like I can take my 7-Eleven and go to the next town over,” Smith said. “These businesses are under a lot of pressure to get these stores open.”
Since host community agreements are a required piece to even apply for an adult-use marijuana license with the Cannabis Control Commission, cities and towns can essentially hold up the process if a company won't agree to pony up the cash.
This issue seems destined for litigation, Smith said.
“At some points, this will be in the courts, inevitably,” he said. “But right now, there's very little money in the business.”
In a WBJ review of 13 host community agreements in Central Mass., eight include payments potentially above the 3-percent limit or not relating to a facility's operations. Others include flat fees, payments to charities or funds to be used at the municipalities' discretion.
In Ayer, Central Ave. Compassionate Care, a cultivator, manufacturer and retailer already operating in the medical pot industry signed an agreement with the town with the company paying $30,000 for the town's Youth Works Program, $2,500 to charities, $6,500 to a DARE program at the Ayer-Shirley Regional School District, $1,500 for a fire safety program with the fire department and up to $12,000 for the material and installation of a “Welcome to Ayer” sign.
In Medway, cultivator CommCan has agreed to pay $100,000 in annual payments in addition to payments already in place via a 2016 agreement for the company's medical operations, including $25,000 annually for any municipal purpose, $10,000 a year for a youth program at the town library and another $10,000 for a drug testing program.
According to the law, host community agreements can't be longer than five months, but the town's agreement with CommCan says the deal will extend for an additional two years if the two sides can't agree on a new contract.
Town officials in Medway and Ayer told WBJ the agreements were negotiated in good faith and ultimately agreed to by both sides. They have a good working relationships, the officials said.
In Athol, cultivator MassGrow agreed to pay an annual fee of 3 percent of its gross revenues or $75,000, whichever is greater. Other agreements include $30,000 to three charities and $20,000 for legal and technical assistance.
Cultivator 1620 Labs, also in Athol, has agreed to pay the greater of 3 percent of its gross revenues or $10,000.
In Hudson, prospective retailers Temescal Wellness and Native Sun Wellness have agreed to pay 3 percent of their gross annual sales to the town for both adult-use and medical pot as well as an annual $10,000 donation to charity.
Preparing for legalization's impacts
Hudson's Executive Director Tom Moses said Temescal and Native Sun will receive the tax benefits from the charitable donations, not the town.
Pointing to the mere existence of the 3-percent impact fee, Moses took issue with industry advocates and the law's writers who say there won't be any detrimental effects of legalization.
If there is no impact from legalization, advocates and lawmakers shouldn't have allowed the impact fee at all, he said.
“To me, that's disingenuous,” he said.
Moses, serving on the fiscal policy committee of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, is pushing to liberalize the use of funds from adult-use marijuana companies. That included a letter to the Cannabis Control Commission, taking issue with the agency's interpretation of the law limiting use of such funds.
“You do your best to negotiate the best revenue stream coming in,” Moses said. “That's what anyone in business or government does.”
That feeling is consistent among town officials attorney Smith has negotiated with.
“Everything I've done in the last six months, the town starts off at 3 percent,” he said.
When a city or town asks for a flat fee instead, Smith does all he can to talk them down from that number, but the industry already held back by the CCC's slow rollout is eager to get started.
“For the most part, they're signing it,” Smith said of his clients. “Again, we have no leverage.”
On the flipside, communities like Uxbridge have heeded the CCC's guidance and have asked for less than 3 percent from the smallest marijuana businesses.
Blackstone Valley Naturals is proposing to operate a microbusiness where it will grow and produce cannabis products and sell it to other companies, agreed to a community impact fee of 1.75 percent.
Gibby's Garden, another Uxbridge microbusiness proposing similar operations to Blackstone Valley Naturals, will pay only a 1.25 percent impact fee.
Even a larger business like Xiphias Wellness wanting to operate an Uxbridge medical and adult-use grow facility and dispensary will pay a 3-percent impact fee from adult-use sales, “as long as the fee is reasonably related to the costs imposed upon the town” by the facility, the agreement reads.
Likewise, proposed retail site Caroline's Cannabis will pay Uxbridge a 3 percent fee and nothing more.
Uxbridge Town Manager Angeline Ellison even said the town and companies will evaluate if projected costs are actually even incurred by the municipality.
“We need to make sure we can validate that,” she said, citing language in the law requiring any financial demands from the town to be documented.
For Uxbridge, staying within the scope of the law was simple.
“It's very clearly stated,” Ellison said.


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Eagle River strip club owner charged with filling liquor bottles with water, other violations
EAGLE RIVER - The owner of an Eagle River strip club has been charged with violating multiple state alcohol laws after an investigation found she was refilling vodka bottles with water.
Agents from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement Unit investigated in November 2018 and discovered that the owner of Frontier Tavern, 55-year-old Carrie Jo Neumann, had refilled at least one liquor bottle with water, did not have licensed bartenders working and had alcohol on the premises that was not bought from a certified Wisconsin distributor, according to a criminal complaint.
Neumann told the agents she refills bottles with water to serve to the club's employees and dancers when customers want to buy them a drink. It is illegal to refill liquor bottles with any substance, even water, according to a press release from the Department of Revenue.
Agent Tyler Quam explained in the press release that this case is "somewhat unique because the bottles were being refilled with straight water, not with cheaper brands or being diluted."
During the investigation, agents found several opened bottles of vodka, rum, whiskey and tequila that were not listed on any purchase invoices for the club, according to the criminal complaint. Neumann told agents those were "personal use" bottles for employees and she allows them to bring their own alcohol to work because she doesn't want them drinking from the bar's stock.
All alcohol possessed at bars in Wisconsin must be properly documented and obtained from legitimate liquor and beer wholesalers to assure that drinks being sold and served are safe and fully taxed, Quam explained.
The state investigated Frontier Tavern in 2015 and 2017 and issued Neumann written warnings for similar violations, including refilling liquor bottles with water, according to the criminal complaint. She is now being charged with three misdemeanors.
Nuemann will make an initial appearance in Vilas County Court on March 25. If convicted, she faces up to $2,500 in fines and up to one year in prison and could lose her alcohol license.


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Chris Gore and Candace Bailey cover the three latest Blu-ray and DVD releases of the week for DVDuesday, including the critically acclaimed 'Black Swan,' the fourth full season of 'Mad Men' and...
Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for...
As a follow up to our coverage of the Miss Videogame 2007 competition, we conducted an interview with one of the contestants, that cute minx in the Kazumi costume, or as you know her -- MandyMoo....
Results 1–3 of 3


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In July 2017, Nigerian/Cameroonian musician Reprudencia Sonkey who goes by her popular stage name Dencia suffered one of the biggest embarrassments and leaks a public personality could ever imagine.
For those who don’t know her, Dencia is a Cameroonaian/Nigerian-born singer, entrepreneur, fashion designer, and philanthropist. Dencia got her start in the industry being featured in music videos by such artists as Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga, and Ludacris, and released her first single “Beri Beri” in 2011.
She launched her own skin beauty line Whitenicious in 2014.
Now, what really happen? In July, someone—many called him a hacker—got his hands on Dencia’s phone and decided to make some money from her. He announced on Instagram that he would be releasing Dencia nude pictures to people who would pay just $50.
When he started recievening the backlash, he released a picture to show people he was not joking.
He continued to leak other vital personal information about her and her Whitenicious beauty line.
He released her tax statement which showed that her income margin had fallen by about $12 000 000. This was due to accusations that her beauty products caused cancer and unnecessary skin reactions. These accusations by Lisa Raye McCoy later proved to be false.
The hacker also claimed that the star was uploading Dencia nudes to big Hollywood celebrities and Soccer icons [names withheld].
The following day, Dencia’s manager took control of the scandal. He announced that Dencia was in post-surgery recuperation and that was what gave the person access to her phone [the hacker was the one managing her Instagram account then].
There are many stories being circulated about the Dencia nude incident, but this is a top class compilation of everything that happened. Dencia however, has retreated to her normal, former private life.


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From 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Aug. 26, the Cosmosphere will hold the Everything Under the Stars gala.
While this will be the second year the Cosmosphere has hosted the event, it won’t take place again until 2019.
“We’ve decided to make the gala an every-other year event,” said Mimi Meredith, the VP of Marketing and Development for the Cosmosphere. “So don’t miss a night of incredible entertainment this year!”
According to Meredith, the Cosmosphere will transform into multiple venues including a full-service espresso coffee bar— donated by Metropolitan Coffee, a Discothèque, a golf putting contest and tasting bars for wine, craft beer and bourbon. Each venue features fabulous food from area caterers as well as incredible live music.
“This evening is truly a celebration for the community,” said Meredith. “We’re thankful to all the individuals and businesses who are helping to make it such an amazing experience.”
Meredith said that the line-up for both the silent and live auction promises to impress.
“We’ll have everything from day trips to Lawrence and Kansas City to trips to Bali, Bordeaux and the Bahamas,” she said. “There’s truly something for everyone and at every price-point,” said Meredith.
To find out more information or to purchase event tickets, please visit cosmo.org or call: 620-665-9324.


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Not one to save money, Floyd Mayweather allowed himself a little madness. Today, we learn that the legendary boxer has bought a new beautiful car.
A Porsche 911 Turbo S bought for 330,000 dollars
If he has not been seen in official fight since his victory against Conor McGregor in 2017, Floyd Mayweather has not stopped boxing. The forty-five year old man multiplies in recent months the exhibitions more lucrative than the other, to the detriment of the sporting interest. A few days ago, we learned that the native of Grand Rapids was currently working on the acquisition of an NBA franchise. Today, it’s for a story of cars that Money finds itself at the heart of the news.
In an article published on his website, TMZ teaches us that Mayweather treated himself to a Porsche 911 Turbo S, bought for the modest sum of 330,000 dollars. The car has a power of 640 horsepower and can go from 0 to 96 km/h in less than thirty seconds. As a reminder, Pretty Boy was recently banned from Bugatti and then from Ferrari, for reselling certain models for more than the purchase price, which is prohibited by the two manufacturers.


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New bike from Hero Honda
Hero Honda Motors has rolled out a variant of its Passion motorcycle in the executive segment. The price of the new version, Passion Plus, will remain the same. The base model of Passion sports a price tag of Rs 41,885 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Gulf Oil launch
Gulf Oil Corporation Limited, a lubricants company, has launched a range of imported car-care products, including dashboard polish and glass and crystal cleaner.
Satyam Computer Services Ltd has launched its offshore development centre in Bangalore to provide high-end product development support to Fujitsu Ltd, a global provider of IT and communication solutions.
UTI Bank pact
UTI Bank has signed an agreement with Enterplan Ltd of UK to fund eucalyptus plantation farming near Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The project involves lending to small and marginal farmers.
Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) has signed a Rs 1000 crore syndicated loan facility, arranged by ABN AMRO Securities (India) Pvt Ltd. Eighteen banks and financial institutions participated in the deal.
Gautier, the furniture retailer, has been renamed Style Spa World Furniture. The change in name is in keeping with new global furniture designs adopted by the company, which are no longer predominantly French.
The income tax department of Calcutta celebrated Hindi Day on September 15 at Aayakar Bhawan. The function was presided by N. P. Sengupta, chief commissioner of income tax, Calcutta-I.


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Introducing the Adweek Podcast Network. Access infinite inspiration in your pocket on everything from career advice and creativity to metaverse marketing and more. Browse all podcasts.
Meta announced in July that it would invest $1 billion in programs to help creators monetize the content they post to Facebook and Instagram by the end of 2022. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post at the time, “We want to build the best platforms for millions of creators to make a living.”


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Displaying items 61-72 of 229 » View OrlandoSentinel.com items only< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11-20 Next >
L.A. Times Tech BlogCustomers can buy Apple's iPhone 4 or HTC's Droid Incredible for the same price, but the parts that make up the HTC smart phone cost about $18 less than the parts in its competitor, according to two reports from hardware analysis firm ISuppli. The Droid...
South Florida Sun-SentinelBack to school shopping is in full swing across Florida, but if you want to save money mark your calendar for up-coming sales tax holiday on clothes, books, notebooks, binders and more. What you should know: Florida law directs that no sales tax or...
A spokeswoman for Morningside Recovery Homes would neither confirm nor deny Friday whether actress Lindsay Lohan will be staying at the Newport Beach rehab home after she's released from jail next week. The "Mean Girls" star was ordered by Judge...
Gayle Anderson was live in Altadena for "CHEAP FIREPROOFING". The Insurance Information Network of California (IINC) offers several suggestions for fireproofing your home cheaply during wildfire season. California homeowners can take simple steps to...
GLENDALE — Alexa Moreno finished her school shopping under budget, so she returned to scour the aisles of Target on Tuesday, looking for more back-to-school supplies. She found a dolphin binder, which she said would be among the more critical...
Anne Friedberg, a USC professor who broadened the study of cinema by emphasizing its relationship to other visually oriented fields, including architecture, art history and digital media, died Friday at her home in the Hollywood Hills. She was 57. The...
The Hartford CourantIn late 2007, just before the great American financial meltdown began in earnest, Victor Wong turned down a summer job at a major New York investment bank to fire up a tiny enterprise of his own. For good measure, he dropped out of Yale, too. The bank...
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Associated PressWASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a Miami man with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft ever in the United States, accusing the one-time government informant of swiping 130 million accounts on top of 40 million he stole...
Tribune staff reporterThere's a postage stamp-sized place in Paris' 16th arrondissement that houses a collection of luxury goods that would be the envy of any upscale boutique. Louis Vuitton monogram-covered handbags and wallets crowd shelves with Hermès scarves and ties,...
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Of The Morning CallThe Bethlehem Area School District has worked its way off the state's academically troubled list, defying the trend of struggling urban districts in Pennsylvania. "It's huge," Superintendent Joseph A. Lewis said of preliminary Pennsylvania System of...
Staff reporterSummer is the perfect time to test out that new digital camera or spankin' new camcorder, but what do you do with all those hours of footage? How do you put it together without buying fancy editing software? Here are some free video and photo-editing...
Tags: Computers, Google Inc., Software
Staff reporterA federal jury convicted New Orleans political operative Mose Jefferson of bribery and obstruction of justice Friday, less than a month after his brother, a former Louisiana congressman, was found guilty of unrelated corruption charges.Mose Jefferson, 66,...
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The Rise and Rise of Fintech
Finance meets technology – Fintech is a rapidly growing $US3b industry using technology to disrupt financial systems.
Open source software and cloud technology have lowered the barriers to entry for tech startups, leading the way for small innovative companies to make an impact. With the financial services industry facing such a wave of digital disruption, traditional businesses are being left for dust. In a post GFC marketplace, more consumers than ever are taking responsibility for learning about how their finances and investments are managed.
KPMG recently released this interesting report on the top 50 Fintech innovators globally, in which Xero features at number 10. Also detailing the sub-industry disruption, the report gives an insight into the innovation landscape. The companies listed are using technology to full advantage with game changing consequences. From peer-to-peer lending to investment social media platforms, Fintech firms have a number of advantages including no legacy IT systems or labour intensive business processes. Bringing cost efficiency, agility and usability to the table, many traditional business models are exploring partnership options with Fintech companies.
Banking industry disruption
Internet connectivity has also stretched the capabilities of more localised banking systems. Bitcoin and other Fintech startups have opened consumers to the possibility of a global currency. From Square to tech giants like Amazon and Google, a range of players are coming into the financial sector to help consumers manage payments and their day-to-day finances. There are many sectors of banking being disrupted by Fintech including wealth management, lending, digital identity, and “lifestyle banking”. Banks across the board are looking at co-creation partnerships as an innovation strategy; this article discusses the benefits such partnerships bring.
I see that in action here at our Christchurch, New Zealand base at the EPIC Innovation Hub – the BNZ Bank is a major sponsor of a range of innovative initiatives.
What are the implications for your business?
Change is accelerating. Individuals and business owners have sophisticated software tools at their fingertips with instant access to realtime data and analytics. Firms will have to be more creative in the services they offer; savvy small business owners will demand and expect more as the traditional “bread and butter” services for accounting firms become increasingly automated. We’ve observed an increasing demand for business advisory expertise and a move towards finance broking, wealth creation, and risk management.
Future proofing your business is essential and it’s important to be responsive to these changes. Education is the new marketing and the opportunities are limitless for those who are proactive.


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OpenFeint sees giant spike in Christmas users and downloads
Here's some more evidence that the App Store had a really amazing holiday weekend last week. OpenFeint has announced that it saw a 184% spike in new users on Christmas Day last week, the largest single day in the service's history for new users. Over the four days around the holiday, OpenFeint reportedly added more than 1.4 million new users to the service.
Downloads were also really high, with 5 million OpenFeint-enabled games downloaded over the holiday weekend. That includes Android games, which saw 73% growth, and iOS games, which spiked by 187% over the weekend. That's a lot of new games and new players.
We've heard other evidence already that last weekend was really busy for the App Store. Apple hasn't released any stats so far (and we've got a line in to EA to try and find out if it can share any of its download figures from the weekend), but we can tell you with some certainty that last weekend saw plenty of new traffic for the App Store and its apps.
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Introducing Batiste’s smartest dry shampoo yet – 24H Active and 24H Fresh
New research from Batiste has found that 44% of women have avoided working...
The results of the most hotly contested event in the hairdressing calendar were shared at a red-carpet ceremony on Monday 27th November held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London.
A total of nineteen trophies were awarded to the winners, in front of a 1,400 strong audience of hairdressing peers, influencers and press, alongside celebrity host, Katherine Ryan, who was joined by Hairdressers Journal International’s Executive Director, Jayne Lewis-Orr and Julian Crane, General Manager for Henkel Consumer Brands Hair Professional UK & Ireland. Currently in their 39th year, the awards celebrate the outstanding creative and technical skills of the best stylists in the industry.
Jayne Lewis-Orr, Executive Director of HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards said: ‘Almost four decades since they began, HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards continue to celebrate the most exciting and creative names in our industry. Tonight’s winners have demonstrated creative vision, dedication and passion for their craft. Their work is an inspiration to us all and utterly deserving of this recognition.’
Featuring ten regional categories, as well as nine specialist awards honouring work including Afro, Men’s, Session and Newcomer, entries are judged anonymously by over 100 leading hairdressers (including celebrity stylists, session stylists, previous winners and Hall of Fame* members). The ultimate accolade of British Hairdresser of the Year** was won by Cos Sakkas, Creative Director at TONI&GUY. After the dazzling ceremony, guests were treated to a performance by Björn Again.
Schwarzkopf Professional has been the sole sponsor of the event since its launch in 1984. Julian Crane, General Manager for Henkel Consumer Brands Hair Professional UK & Ireland, says: ‘Schwarzkopf Professional is honoured to shine a spotlight once again on some of the industry’s greatest talents. Our winners have wowed us with their passion and skill and should feel incredibly proud of their achievements.’
HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards 2023 sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional
Specialist Category Winners 2023:


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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., said this week he plans to file a bill that protects fast-food companies from recent obesity lawsuits.
"We are overweight as a society but to seek to blame this on sellers is an absurd trend in litigation that needs to stop before it gets started," McConnell told the Cincinnati Post.
The bill won’t keep companies out of court for making false marketing claims but will protect them from the recent rash of suits blaming food companies for obesity.
"The notion that we are a society of victims who have no responsibility for outcomes in our own lives is utterly absurd," he told the Cincinnati Post. "You shouldn't be able to sue someone else because of your own eating habits."
A similar bill has already been proposed in the House.


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Tesla is walking back plans to close most of its showrooms worldwide and announced price hikes for most of its electric vehicles.
Tesla announced last month that it would shutter most of its stores to cut costs so it could sell its lower-priced Model 3 for $35,000. The company continues its shift to toward online-only sales, but now says it won’t close as many stores as originally thought.
The $35,000 base Model 3 will still be available, but the company is raising prices by 3 percent on all other models.
In a former filing with government regulators, Tesla now says it closed 10 percent of its stores, but a few of those will now remain open. Another 20 percent are being evaluated and some could remain open.
The company gave no numbers, but said it would close only about half the stores that it had intended to.
It has 378 stores and service centers worldwide and about 100 stores in the U.S. If the company closes 30 percent of the stores that would equal about 110.
“As a result of keeping significantly more stores open, Tesla will need to raise vehicle prices by about 3 percent on average worldwide,” a company statement said. “We will only close about half as many stores, but the cost savings are therefore only about half.”
Remaining stores could have fewer workers but will have vehicles available for test drives and a small inventory in case people want to buy immediately, the statement said.
1）Wakling back plans
在表示把违反原先的计划、做相反的行动时，我们用 walk back the plan to do sth.
2）Remain open 保持开放
这里换成 stay open、be left open 也都是可以的。
3）On average worldwide
这里要注意一下断句，on average 和 worldwide 各是一个状语，总体是在表示在全球范围内平均……


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The yellow caution light has gone on at K mart Corp., the discount retailer known for its "blue-light specials."
Standard & Poor's Corp., one of the nation's leading financial rating firms, has put the company on notice that it might lower K mart's credit ratings because it is concerned about how well K mart, the nation's second-largest retailer, is faring in the increasingly competitive retail market.
This cautionary note, issued late last week, comes at a time when competition in the retailing industry is hotter than ever -- even though consumer spending has cooled substantially during the past 18 months.
K mart officials refused to discuss S&P actions yesterday but industry experts said it represented a warning not only for K mart but for other discounters and well-established retailers that have been slow to react to the intensified competitive pressures.
"There is a bell going off," said Louis Stern, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. "The bell doesn't mean that K mart is going to fail."
However, he added, it does signal problems for K mart and other retailers such as Sears "who have stood in the middle of the road, bumping along with not enough excitement" to keep customers from going to their new, more focused competitors, including the specialized discount stores (such as Trak Auto Corp.) or the warehouse clubs (such as the Price or Pace Club), Stern said.
K mart has a particular problem with the rash of discounters that have cropped up to compete with the nation's largest discount chain. On the one hand are the lower priced Wal-Mart stores; at the other end are stores selling higher priced goods such as Bradlees, which likes to call itself the "upscale discounter." K mart is caught in the middle of a discount war, neither "an upscale discounter or a downscale discounter" that draws particularly loyal customers, Stern added.
Sales for the chain last year were $22.4 billion. While that was a 6.2 percent increase from the previous year, it was "well under the mid-year projections of $24 billion," noted S&P's retailing analyst Kerekin Der Sahagian.
Profits for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 30 totaled $221.2 million, down from the $499.1 million earned in 1985. Even discounting the $250 million write-off the company took in 1986 for discontinuing two operations -- its insurance subsidiary and a joint venture in Mexico -- the company's profits for 1986 still were lower than last year -- $471.2 million, compared with $498.7 million in 1985.
"K mart should be doing better than it has," Sahagian said. "It has been diversifying and upgrading, but these have not generated bottom-line results."
One reason is that what they are doing, everyone else is trying to do the same thing."
In the past two years, K mart -- which has about 20 percent to 25 percent of the discount market -- has been actively trying to upgrade its stores and its merchandise to lure a more affluent shopper. At the same time, realizing that with 2,200 K mart stores there are few new places to set up new units, the company has been seeking to expand its business by diversifying into other retail areas.
It has purchased Walden Books, the northwestern drugstore chain Pay Less Drug Stores and a do-it-yourself home-center company that it has renamed Builders Square.
Yet these moves so far have not paid off, Wall Street officials said yesterday, as the stock closed down 37.5 cents at $43.75 a share.
"They are wasting a ton of money in their new activities," said Terence J. McEvoy of Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co.
"Nobody is making money in the warehouse do-it-yourself business. They have undertaken a huge expansion effort without sufficient capability for the drugstores, and Walden Books had already peaked when they bought it. It was a full-price retailing in an industry that was going discount. They responded, and that has hurt K mart's margins," McEvoy said.
S&P's Sahagian said the rating company hoped to meet with K mart officials by mid-spring to make a decision.
S&P rates K mart's senior debt at A-plus and its convertible subordinated debt at A. S&P's top rating is AAA.
Moody's Investor Service, the other major rating service, said K mart's ratings are "not under official review at this point in time," said analyst John Dean. For senior debt, Moody's gives K mart an A-1; and a lower A-2 rating for its convertible subordinated debt.


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You Searched For "Chinese"
Shares of Indian company linked to Chinese biz on Beijing radar
Regulators in Beijing are convinced that the Indian company Kiri Industries’ stake is highly overpriced due to speculative play in share prices
Honor to launch its first foldable smartphone shortly
Honor’s first foldable smartphone is in the works and will be arriving soon. The Chinese smartphone maker recently shared a teaser of the phone on...
e-commerce firm Shopee violates norms, CAIT alleges
South East Asian e-commerce firm Shopee is violating norms as it has entered India without seeking a government approval despite having a Chinese...
Xiaomi-led Chinese brands hold 74% of India's smartphone mkt
Led by Xiaomi, Chinese brands captured 74 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market in the third quarter (Q3)
Chinese realty crisis likely to hit Indian market
Evergrande crisis, which is compared to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in the US, causing a factor of worry among different stakeholders in Indian...
Is West overrating China in AI space?
The dragon country excels in computer vision and facial recognition, but practical applications are limited to surveillance. The US has much broader...
Is Chinese presence in E Africa a betrayal?
These investments not only help China gain access to more markets, but also helps Beijing to exert more political leverage, empower People’s...
Chinese fraudsters on prowl in India!
Stealing personal data and money in the garb of instant loan and gaming apps right under RBI’s nose


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Advance Pricing Ends Feb 22
WPPI by the Numbers
Hours of Education
Zoom In. Go All Out.
Your people are waiting for you at WPPI—come and find them.
- 30 Rising Star Daniel López Pérez Photography Harnesses the SunThroughout the month of November, our Photo of the Day series will be taken over by each of Rangefinder‘s newly minted 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography in 2019. The 30 honorees are featured in our November issue, and each of their full, 30-photo submissions, reviewed by the competition judges, can be…
- Model Tech: MPB on Accessibility and TransparencyTo connect more deeply with the photo community and accommodate their growing brand, MPB recently moved their Manhattan headquarters to a space that is six times larger in Brooklyn’s buzzing Industry City neighborhood. Photo © Courtesy of MPB.If you do a quick online search for reviews of MPB, you’ll notice…
- CameraBag Pro 2020 and CameraBag Photo 2020For photographers looking at more affordable Photoshop Lightroom alternatives, CameraBag Photo 2020 and CameraBag Pro 2020 are now available for Mac and Windows at only $30 and $50, respectively. A week-long free trial is being offered. [A Photographer’s Guide to Computers and Software in 2019] For fast edits and previews…
Connect with thousands of attendees and vendors!
SAVE THE DATE FOR WPPI 2021
Live Judging: Sunday March 7 – Monday March 8, 2021
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Show: Tuesday March 9 – Thursday March 11, 2021


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The EU has provisionally agreed that new portable electronic devices will have to use a USB Type-C charger by autumn 2024. According to EU officials, a common charging port will make life easier for consumers and save them money.
The new law means that Apple will have to change the plug on iPhones sold in Europe by 2924. Apple uses a custom charging port that is exclusive to some of its products.
The company’s products, such as iPhones and iPads, must comply with the new law, and laptops will also be included, although this will be 40 months after the law comes into force.
The new rule will cover a range of “small and medium sized portable electronics,” including mobile phones, tablets, headphones and headsets, portable video game consoles and portable speakers.
“This law is a part or a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste and make consumers’ lives easier,” the EU said in its statement.
The agreement will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers after the summer, where it can be formally endorsed and subsequently published.
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.


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To say my girlfriend is a fan of Christmas would be a slight understatement. Following last year’s holiday season, our Christmas tree stood decorated until April — long after the final frost had melted from the windowpane.
The day we took it down was warm and balmy. To celebrate the end of what she considers the Christmas season, we took a trip to Gray’s Lake beach in Des Moines after we boxed the artificial spruce and put it in the closet. At our house there are three seasons: Springtime, the Iowa State Fair and Christmas.
As the ISF drew to a close this year, my girlfriend came home last weekend with the glorious news that the seasonal Halloween Express store near Valley West Mall had already posted its sign, and spooky decor of all kinds were being unloaded from supply trucks to haunt the shelves for 2.5 months. For those unaware of how the calender truly works, Halloween is a sub-season of Christmas time.
For all our enthusiasm surrounding the holiday season to come, we cannot wish the remainder of our summer away. Some department stores use people’s love and excitement for year-end religious or secular celebrations to mask their haste to display the new holiday merchandise in a scheme to increase their fourth-quarter profits.
It has become a Hallmark Christmas movie mantra not to let the commercialization of the holiday season get in the way of the true meanings of celebrations observed during the upcoming months.
For Shi’a Muslims, the holiday season brings Hijra — the New Year —and Ashura — the day of mourning for Husay ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. For Sikh’s, the holiday season is a day of mourning remembering the 1675 execution of their ninth guru, Tegh Bahadur. For followers of Judaism, Hanukkah — the festival of lights commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem — is widely observed. For Christians around the world, the holiday season is a time to worship and pray for the birth of their savior, Jesus of Nazareth.
I’ve already seen signs of the holidays popping up in the shopping malls and the major TV networks. Stores are clearing out their summer inventories. An employee at the Jordan Creek Town Center Younkers was inventorying holiday wreaths and trees near the back room as I shopped two weeks ago. ABC Family just aired a 24-hour Christmas movie marathon as to say, “Don’t forget about our 25 Days of Christmas series just around the corner.”
The coming months are a great time to listen to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, drink a warm cup of peppermint mocha and decorate the tree. But don’t forget about the true meaning of the season. Help a neighbor take pride in their home and assist in stringing a line of lights outside, buy a toy for the tots and wish a member of another faith a happy holiday for the celebration that is important to them. As the summer ends and we look to the final stretch of 2014, let’s make this holiday season meaningful for all.
Contact Staff Writer Mike Mendenhall at email@example.com.


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It was more of the same in May for U.S. retail sales of ag tractors and combines, with under 40HP tractors leading the way and sales of larger tractors and combines continuing to lag, according to data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the leading trade organization for off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
U.S retail sales of farm tractors under 40HP were up 9.4 percent in May 2016 compared to the same time period last year, and up 15.5 percent January through May. For 2WD tractors 40-100HP, sales were up slightly for May compared to last year – plus 1.4 percent, and year-to-date are tracking at minus 2.1 percent.
May sales of 2WD 100+HP tractors in the U.S. declined 3.5 percent, with year-to-date sales down 24.3 percent, while 4WD tractors dropped 26.1 percent year-over-year and dipped 30.6 percent year-to-date.
Combine sales declined 40.2 percent year-over-year for May but for January through May dropped 28.8 percent compared to 2015 year-to-date sales.
“The May retail sales numbers, taken together, are higher than the 5-year average, mostly driven by the smaller under 40HP machines, which remain an area of growth compared to the negative numbers for production equipment. However, farm tractors 40-100HP continued their stable trend, and the 2WD tractors 100+HP experienced a lower decline than earlier this year,” said Charlie O’Brien, AEM senior vice president.
“Farm incomes are expected to be more stable this year and we are seeing some growth in crop receipts in certain areas of the country, but we will most likely have to wait until later this year or 2017 to see an appreciable impact on equipment sales.”


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Shares of Hewlett-Packard fall as analysts cut their earnings estimates and recommendations after the company fails to meet quarterly expectations.
The stock was trading at 53 in afternoon trading, down 5-7/8 from yesterday's close, after Alex. Brown and Gruntal & Company issued downgrades this morning.
Alex. Brown downgraded its recommendation to "market underperform" from "market perform," while Gruntal lowered its rating to "outperform" from "strong buy."
Gruntal also cut its 1997 earnings estimate to $3.20 a share from $3.40 and lowered its 1998 estimate to $3.80 a share from $4.
HP reported a slight increase in revenues and profits after the market's close yesterday but cautioned that growth in orders slowed.
The company reported net profits of $784 million, or 75 cents a share, for the quarter ending April 30, compared with profits of $723 million or 69 cents a year ago.
Wall Street had expected the company to earn 80 cents a share, according to First Call. Revenues, meanwhile, grew 4.6 percent to $10.3 billion for the quarter, up from $9.9 billion a year ago.
"Overall, the good news from our perspective is that we achieved modest profit improvement, despite much slower revenue growth," chief financial officer Robert Wayman said in a conference call.
He added that the company has new products in the pipeline and will start to ship some of them in the second half of this year.
Hewlett-Packard saw its stock approach its 52-week high of 59-1/4 yesterday. Its shares closed at 58-7/8, up 2-1/4.
"For HP to do well, the printer business must do well, but we have seen very aggressive pricing pressure for ink jet [printers]," said analyst Doug Van Dorsten of Hambrecht & Quist.
Earlier this month, HP cut prices by up to 20 percent on its entire monochrome line of network LaserJet printers. Those cuts will continue to affect revenue.
Van Dorsten had expected revenue to grow about 8.5 percent to $10.7 billion and had predicted profits of only 75 cents a share. He added that increased competition in the desktop workstation business has been eating away at HP's market share.
"Certainly, Sun Microsystems (SUNW) is much tougher competition than it was two years ago. Sun has momentum, and HP has lost share in the desktop workstation market for five or six quarters. I'm skeptical over the near term."
But Van Dorsten noted that even though additional competition has entered the workstation ring, HP is a "well-run company" that is taking measures to bolster other areas of its business. HP is putting emphasis on servers and NT, and that might counter the lost market share in workstations, he added.
John Jones, an analyst with Salomon Brothers, added, "This is an industry that is constantly changing, and HP is very adept to making changes." To make the workstation business work, "they need to either build a more effective Unix offering that can compete with NT, embrace the NT/Intel offering and offset the Unix pressure, or retreat to the high end."
Jones also expected revenue for workstations to be down again this quarter, but he added that "the good news is that the workstations business is only five percent of the business."
"Unix workstations were very soft again this quarter, and the high end was very weak," CFO Wayman said. He added that the second quarter is not a strong part of the company's product cycle.
Meanwhile, HP may be able to piggyback on the growth of the semiconductor industry. Even though increases in the global chip industry is projected to be a modest 4.6 percent in 1997 to $138 billion, weighed down by a flat first quarter, the yearly growth rate is expected to be 20 percent for the next three years, according to a report released this week by the Semiconductor Industry Association.
Improvements in the semiconductor industry and capital spending may boost demand for HP's testing-and-measurement business, which currently generates about nine to ten percent of the company's revenue, according to Van Dorsten.
Meanwhile, as with all companies that have a portion of their business overseas, a strong dollar reduced revenue and order growth by about three percent, Wayman explained. In addition, he said demand in Europe will continue to be lower than hoped.


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March 25, 2013
Local food purveyors, selling samples of their signature dishes, take over the parking lot of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for the Taste of Vienna food festival.
Stories this photo appears in:
Spring’s weather may be unpredictable but what is always predictable are the many festive spring events in Vienna held year after year. Some are family-centric, some cultural... all are fun.


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LETV shocked the huge loss of over 600 million! Where's the loss?
21shijijingjibaodao· 2017-08-29 10:02:27
read: August 28th evening, LETV released fiscal 2017 first half earnings.
despite the previous performance will be a significant loss of notice, but LETV (300104.SZ) 2017 semi annual report released, still make the outside world quite shocked.
earnings report, whether it is operating income or attributable to shareholders of the parent company's net profit, LETV have declined sharply. Especially the latter, the loss amounted to 637 million yuan, down 323.91%.
source, twenty-first Century economic report (ID:jjbd21),
reporter, Wang Chuanhong Shouchun Rao
LETV online first half loss of over 600 million yuan!
Jia Yueting (information)
reported LETV revenue of 5 billion 579 million yuan in the first half of this year, and last year more than 10 billion yuan in revenue reduced by 44.56% compared to almost cut.
at the same time, LETV online loss of 637 million yuan for the same period last year, profit of 284 million yuan, attributable to shareholders of listed companies net profit dropped by 323.91%." will significantly reduce the revenue, depending on the music network says, is mainly because of the advertising business income, business income and payment service terminal decrease. In addition, due to the company in the two quarter of the basic foreign copyright distribution business, resulting in a substantial decline in copyright distribution revenue over the same period.
from the revenue share structure, music network from advertising revenue, terminal business and business income decreased most significantly, to 73.94%, 54% and 34.09%, respectively. Among them, advertising revenue from the same period last year accounted for 15.51%, down 7.34% this year.
what business is the biggest contribution to LETV losses? From music as the net company performance:
music as a result of new losses in the first half 282 million yuan,
music cloud about 80 million 300 thousand yuan loss.
for the outside world is concerned about the associated transaction issues, LETV said, the company is actively seeking solutions with related parties, and does not rule out the latter's high-quality assets into the listed company.
, which is worthy of attention is, LETV mentioned, currently the company is working with relevant parties to negotiate the LETV Investment Management (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "LETV investment") 100% equity issues, the main asset LETV investment at present, which is the music of financial business. The
report also revealed that SUNAC's Tianjin Jia Rui Huixin Enterprise Management Limited 1 billion 542 million yuan is still not paid to the new music, also made by the first half of this year as the new "other receivables balance" than the end of 2016 an increase of 218.31%. The reason why
is a sharp decline in performance,?
on LETV, since November last year, the capital chain predicament at the group level, a substantial decline in the performance report, has been in the market expected. Why did
's performance change so dramatically?
1, due to the company's industry characteristics, the current copyright amortization, CDN and labor costs and other operating costs did not decline, and influenced by the music system of related party funds, coupled with the company's brand impact, with the customer stickiness fluctuate, the company's advertising revenue, income and income of members of the terminal there was a substantial decline.
2, in order to adhere to the quality of content independent broadcast strategy, in the two quarter for foreign copyright distribution business, this also led to a sharp decline in income over the same period,
3 has about $240 million in assets impairment loss provision. The problem of related party transactions
quite concerned about the outside world:
LETV semi annual report shows that the company accounts receivable amounted to 9 billion 542 million yuan, accounting for the proportion of the total assets of 26.70%; among them, from related party accounts receivable balance of 5 billion 241 million yuan, the total revenue receivable ratio was 51.85%. This amount increased by 1 billion 439 million yuan over the end of the year, LETV explained, because the reporting period, the existing business in normal development, there are still some related transactions involved.
however, LETV also said that in 2017 1-6 months, the related party accounts receivable repayment of 2 billion 826 million yuan, and Jia Yu on the above-mentioned accounts receivable to provide a guarantee.
in addition, LETV also said that at the end of the first half, the company bank deposits, frozen funds 29 million 70 thousand yuan, TCL multimedia holdings equity acquisitions 2 billion 151 million yuan deposit; factoring accounts receivable should be limited in the amount of 262 million yuan of recourse; available for sale equity value of 27 million 610 thousand yuan of financial assets have been is a long-term equity pledge; equity value of 11 million 34 thousand and 200 yuan of investment has been pledged.
financial record of China's capital injection, music as a new part of the money has not yet arrived,
another noteworthy detail is that the current financial record of China's capital injection, music as a new part of the money, has not yet arrived. LETV semi annual disclosure, mainly due to the company's first half of the balance of other receivables increased by 218.31% compared with the end of 2016, was introduced as the new investors in Tianjin Jia Rui Huixin Enterprise Management Co., increase investment of approximately 1 billion 542 million yuan in accounts receivable.
music as the financial injection of debt,
LETV as the future will be how to develop?
removal of performance itself, LETV latest semi annual report also mentioned the current speculation, difficult to determine the injection of financial assets.
LETV: at the end of 2017 will recover accounts receivable,
LETV said, in order to protect the related party revenue accounted for


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Urban Outfitters, which runs apparel and home goods brands Anthropologie, Bhldn, Free People, Terrain and Urban Outfitters as well as a food and beverage division, on Tuesday reported first quarter results that missed expectations and indicated a slump in its apparel and accessories retail operations.
Home goods and beauty sales were robust, executives told analysts Wednesday, according to a transcript from Seeking Alpha, and they said the company has had to adjust to its customers’ more casual apparel choices. Total Q1 net sales were $761 million, flat compared to the first quarter last year, missing the Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S forecast for $768.6 million cited by Reuters. Earnings came in at 10 cents per share, also missing the Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S forecast for 16 cents per share.
Same-store sales online and through its direct-to-consumer catalogs saw “strong, double-digit growth,” helping to temper the same-store sales decline of 3.1%, according to a company press release. Wholesale Q1 net sales rose 14%. By brand, Free People same-store sales rose 1.5%, but that measure declined 3.1% at Urban Outfitters and 4.4% at Anthropologie, the company said.
In a conference call with analysts Wednesday, CEO Richard Hayne said the tough apparel environment will continue to push retailers out. “This issue is impacting virtually all U.S. brick and mortar retailers,” he said, according to a transcript from Seeking Alpha. “There are simply too many stores and too many malls in North America. We expect to see more closures and brands disappear until a healthier balance is reached.”
Even the company’s stores, which do offer compelling shopping experiences, are suffering, and its answer to that is fourfold: fostering its e-commerce sales, turning more to customers outside North America (in particular in Europe and the Middle East), ramping up its wholesale play and boosting offerings in better-performing sub-segments, like Free People’s Movement yoga wear and home goods. Such a pivot will require planning, testing and learning, and so will require patience, Hayne said.
“[T]he URBN brands are powerful and still possess significant untapped opportunities for growth,” Hayne insisted. “The four areas of opportunities I just discussed, if properly implemented, could add many hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to our top line. This at a time when many North American retailers are desperately searching for growth vehicles because the traditional method opening more stores is no longer viable. We believe our brands have significant and exciting alternatives and we intend to exploit them. To achieve this growth we intend to invest for the long term.”
There’s no doubt that the apparel sector is “soft,” according to GlobalData Retail analyst Håkon Helgesen, but some of the weak performance comes from the company’s own shortcomings.
“Foremost among these is the continued shift to online,” Helgesen said in a note emailed to Retail Dive. “Urban continued to see double-digit growth in its direct to consumer channel. However, this came squarely at the expense of stores, which shoppers are visiting less often and from which they are buying less. A particular issue here is that it costs Urban more to fulfill from its online operation than it does from a store, so the direct channel's cannibalization of sales is costing the company margin and hurting profits.”
Plus, while the company’s stores are nicely presented as curated destinations, shopping in them is often confusing, and the merchandise of late has been off the mark, he said. “The customer has to do a lot of work in finding the right product, which is one of the reasons increasing numbers are opting to buy online where sorting and filtering options make it easier to identify items of interest,” according to Helgesen. “In our opinion, the clothing offer is too eclectic. Unfortunately, over the past few months, this seems to have become worse rather than better with some jarring and off-pitch styles creeping into the mix.”
Considering the level of work to be done, GlobalData Retail analysts expect the rest of the year to “remain soft,” especially at the company’s flagship Urban Outfitters brand. “[T]he company has outlined a streamlining of its store operations, is taking a more conservative approach to store growth, and is trying to bolster talent across the apparel parts of its business,” Helgesen said. “All these things will be helpful, but we feel that there is now lots of work to do in rebuilding customer confidence."


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Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer’s) has announced that its SGProof.com B2B eCommerce platform has passed the $3 billion revenue mark in 2022, following continued adoption among the company’s customer base.
In 2022, 82,000 hospitality customers place orders on SGProof.com, purchasing more than 61,000 products and resulting in more than 17 million cases delivered. Sales consultants were able to generate over a million proposals through the platform, leading to 70,000 new points of distribution in 2022.
“We are thrilled with the way our sales consultants use Proof to expand relationships with their customers and showcase our world-class portfolio of brands,” said John Wittig, Chief Commercial Officer, Southern Glazer’s. “We will continue to invest in industry-leading functionality to equip our sales team and enhance the Proof® platform as we aim to strengthen the bond between Southern Glazer’s, our customers and suppliers in 2023 and beyond.”


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Google recently announced a new product called Chromecast that will allow users to listen to music and watch videos from sites like YouTube and Google Play on their HDTVs. The product costs $35 and connects directly to your TV. There are already some products available that can accomplish some of these things. But how many consumers might be interested in Google’s new product?
In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, just 9% of respondents said they know what Google Chromecast is. Another 20% said they have heard of it. And 71% said they’ve never heard of Google Chromecast. However, the product is still very new, and so awareness is still growing.
After learning what the product does, just 9% of respondents said they are definitely interested in purchasing Chromecast. 31% said they would probably be interested in the product. 39% said they would probably not be interested. And 21% are definitely not interested in purchasing Google Chromecast.
In order to take advantage of Google Chromecast, consumers need to have an HDTV and a need for such a device. 73% of consumers said they currently own an HDTV. However, 43% of respondents said that they already own a device that allows them to watch online videos or content from streaming services directly on their TV. Of those who own an HDTV, 50% said they own such a device. You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: And we’re off! #chromecast from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.
Results were collected on July 29 via AYTM’s online survey panel.


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Mobilicity starts selling Galaxy Nexus ahead of schedule
Feb 02, 2012, 10:04 ET
Canada's smart carrier to support launch with free Samsung Bluetooth headset gift with purchase & Mobile Kiss Cam contest
TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - It may be Groundhog Day, but it's the sleek shadow of the Galaxy Nexus™ by Samsung that will be casting attention at Mobilicity stores across Canada starting today.
The news that the fast-growing unlimited carrier is selling the acclaimed smartphone, powered by Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), ahead of its original launch date - and with a free Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth headset - also coincides with the two-year anniversary of unveiling the Mobilicity brand.
Mobilicity today also announced its upcoming Mobile Kiss Cam contest, featuring the Galaxy Nexus for Valentine's Day. The Facebook-based contest, running February 6-17, will invite couples to submit a video clip of their best kiss for the chance to win a Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Mini, each with six months of Mobilicity's unlimited talk, text and data service (prize valued at over $1,400).
The Galaxy Nexus, developed by Samsung and Google, features a 4.65" HD Super AMOLED display technology (720p resolution), a speedy 1.2GHz dual core processor, and the ability to use facial recognition to unlock the device. Using Google's NFC-based Android Beam technology, users can easily share web pages, apps, and YouTube™ videos with a quick tap of their devices.
Designed to deliver a "pure Google" experience, the Galaxy Nexus also comes complete with popular Google Mobile services, such as Android Market, Gmail™, Google Maps™ 5.0, Google Earth™, and Google＋. It will also automatically send software upgrades and new applications as they become available.
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy Nexus by Samsung is available at select Mobilicity stores across Canada for the no-contract price of $599.99. Mobilicity is offering a free Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth headset with the purchase of a Galaxy Nexus while supplies last ($39.99 value).
For more information on the Mobile Kiss Cam contest and to view the kiss cam gallery, visit www.facebook.com/mobilicity starting February 6th.
About Mobilicity (DAVE Wireless)
Mobilicity, Canada's smart mobile carrier, was created to bring down the cost of wireless with unlimited talk, text and data plans, affordable North American coverage, plus popular handsets and smartphones - without locking customers into contracts or charging extra or hidden fees. Everything Mobilicity does adds up to a better wireless experience, not an expensive one. NOW THAT'S SMART.
Formerly known as Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Wireless Inc. (DAVE Wireless), the company is led by Obelysk, a diversified Canadian holding company, and Quadrangle Capital Partners, a global investor in the telecommunications and media sectors. Mobilicity was named one of Canada's Top 25 Up and Coming Information & Communication Technology start-ups in 2010 by the Branham Group Inc. Further information about Mobilicity can be found at www.mobilicity.ca.
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24 May 2012
Optics bellwether compensates for semiconductor market weakness with rapid growth in Asia.
The Carl Zeiss Group is on course for another strong financial year, despite the negative impact of the current slump in the semiconductor market.
At €2.1 billion, sales for the first six months of fiscal 2011/2012 – ending March 31 - were down only 2% on the equivalent period one year ago, when overall spending on semiconductor equipment, where the company supplies products like photomask metrology and optics for lithography systems, was much higher.
During its boom periods, the semiconductor sector is the largest single market for the Germany-headquartered company’s products. In the latest results, semiconductor group sales fell 25% year-on-year to €478 million. Despite that slump, Zeiss has increased the division's workforce by 9% over the same period to 2,360 – likely to meet the challenge of developing products for the emerging era of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
The semiconductor decline meant that medical systems became the biggest single sector for the company by sales, with revenues of €484 million in the period. As reported by its medical and life sciences affiliate company Carl Zeiss Meditec (of which 75% is owned by the Carl Zeiss Group) last week, this sector is growing quickly, with sales up 17% year-on-year.
But it was in the field of industrial metrology where Zeiss reported the strongest growth, with sales climbing 29% to €237 million.
Zeiss CEO Michael Kaschke attributed the company’s steady performance overall to the diversified nature of the business, saying in a statement accompanying the latest results:
“Through our broad diversification, we were largely able to compensate for the cyclical downturn in the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) group. This underscores the strength of our portfolio.”
While Zeiss has been able to keep its top line largely intact, the overall profitability of the business has been hit by the semiconductor downturn. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) slumped by 34% to €232 million, down from €355 million a year ago.
That is partly because the company is maintaining a high level of spending on research and development activity, mindful of the fact that very nearly half of Zeiss’ sales arise from products that have been launched within the past three years. In the latest period, R&D spending was up 10% year-on-year to €190 million.
Zeiss is also spending heavily to update and modernize its vast global infrastructure, and invested €108 million in plant and equipment in the latest period. Over the next few years, the company plans to invest €500 million in a further expansion of its sites in Germany alone.
Buoyed by the strong performance in emerging economies and Asia in particular, Kaschke is optimistic for the remainder of the current fiscal year - despite the ongoing sovereign debt problems in Europe.
“We are aiming for revenue of around €4 billion,” he said, with expectations of a “slight” recovery in the semiconductor market. That total would represent a marginal decrease on the previous year, when sales reached a record-breaking €4.24 billion – but could be regarded as a strong performance in the context of the semiconductor slump.
The company continues to expand in terms of employees, with its global workforce now closing in on 25,000 workers.
• Last week, Zeiss released a new dual-laser version of its LSM 7 series of multiphoton microscopy systems. The different laser wavelengths can simultaneously excite several fluorescent dyes or proteins, or image specimens with one wavelength and manipulate them in multiphoton mode with another.
According to Zeiss, the automatic free beam adjustment gives the system a high degree of stability and reproducibility and ensures exact overlay of the two excitation beams. Typical applications of the system, which is also compatible with optical parametric oscillators, could include studies of small-animal brain activity.


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Yahoo has said it will be closing its offices worldwide from Christmas until New Year's Day this year as a way of cutting costs even further.
Yahoo's cost-cutting strategy seems to be working, however, with the company reporting a profit boost back in October.
However, customer support staff, as well as those performing other essential duties, won't be affected by the new rule.
It's the first time the company has forced its 13,200 global employees to take time off during the holiday season. Within the US, where the time between the two holidays is not generally considered time off, employees will be given the choice of taking vacation time or unpaid leave.
For areas outside the US, company spokeswoman Dana Lengkeek said that "time off will be paid consistent with local standards and laws."
Yahoo, which is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, has been attempting to cut costs for well over a year, and has shed over 2,000 jobs since then, including 700 this spring, to offset a 12 per cent decline in revenues, the first fall since 2001.
Langkeek stated that closing "during a traditionally slow week allows employees to recharge, and the company to reduce operating costs for the week." Some other Silicon Valley companies have an established practice of closing for the week.


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The fine comes as a warning from Ofgem to all energy companies to maintain standards about complaint handling and to "treat customers fairly.”
After an investigation which started in June last year, Ofgem found that British Gas had breached regulations by failing to re-open investigations when customers had indicated that the issue had not been resolved.
British Gas failed to provide dissatisfied customers with a redress service provided by the Energy Ombudsman. They also failed to put in any correct procedures when dealing with small businesses specifically.
Ofgem is also currently investigating Npower and EDF Energy for complaint handling. Earlier this month, British Gas was fined a further £1 million for mis-selling products to consumers.
Scottish Power, EDF Energy, Npower and Scottish and Southern Energy are all currently being investigated for mis-selling as well.
Sarah Harrison, Ofgem's Senior Partner for Sustainable Development, said:
"Today's finding highlights basic failures in British Gas' customer service, particularly in dealing with some of its small business customers, and shows Ofgem's commitment to use its powers to ensure suppliers treat customers fairly and transparently.
"We warned the industry in March that we would be backing up our plans to reform the retail market with a tough approach to enforcement. This £2.5 million fine against British Gas, and the other £10 million of fines imposed on the energy industry so far this year, sends a clear message to energy companies that they must abide by the rules,” Harrison continued.
Recently British Gas announced that they are to raise the price of gas by 18% and the price of electricity by 16%. This will increase the average household dual fuel bill by up to £200. If you are concerned about rising energy prices, you can compare price plans with the energy comparison service


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Kicking off a six-month countdown to the opening of its new flagship in Hudson Yards, the Dallas-based retailer launched the 92nd edition of its traditional Christmas Book on Friday, unveiling its Fantasy Gifts for 2018.
The footwear company reported on Thursday that it achieved record sales of $1.176 billion in the third quarter of 2018, seeing particularly strong growth in its international retail and wholesale channels.
Cornish fashion/lifestyle brand Seasalt is continuing to roll out stores in the UK with an opening in the important Cribbs Causway mall, the premier shopping destination in the Bristol and South West England area.
U.S. footwear and apparel company Nine West Holdings Inc filed an amended Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan that will reduce its pre-bankruptcy debt obligations by more than $1 billion, the company said on Wednesday.
Sneaker marketplace Goat, currently the world's largest footwear resale platform, has announced it has partnered with Los Angeles Lakers player Kyle Kuzma, who will become the company's first brand ambassador.


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Following up on our DirectX post, this week we’re taking a look at the recently announced DirectX 12. Since DirectX is a collection of APIs, the newest version will actually be a set of updates and features rolled out individually rather than a monolithic new product. Besides ensuring that developers can ease into the new version, it means we can take a look at each new feature as details emerge.
The first update to be announced is Direct3D 12. Direct3D is responsible for rendering 3D elements, such as the graphics within many video games. 3D elements are notoriously intensive to render, requiring not only a fairly powerful CPU but often specialized hardware. Direct3D 12 utilizes many new approaches to make 3D rendering faster and more efficient than ever.
A unified pipeline state reduces overhead and maximizes draw calls. A descriptor heap utilizes the capabilities of modern hardware to allow the GPU to take direct control of resource description. Finally, a work submission model uses command lists to pre-compute GPU commands. These new features each reduce strain on hardware and allow software to more directly access that hardware, resulting in improved performance.
To measure all of these changes, Microsoft has used Futuremark’s 3DMark application as a benchmark, and the results are striking. First, multithread processors are used more efficiently, with work spread out more evenly across multiple threads. Second, CPU utilization is improved by a staggering 50 percent. Despite being far from full release, DirectX 12 already shows enormous strides over previous versions.
Performance improvements aren’t the only new benefit to DirectX 12. In a move sure to please cross-platform developers, Microsoft has announced that DirectX 12 will bring improvements not only to PC applications, but to those on Windows phones and the Xbox One. Even better, perhaps, is the announcement that DirectX 12 will run on current chips from Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. Customers won’t need to upgrade their hardware to get the benefits of DirectX 12, which frees developers to use their existing expertise rather than learn the ins and outs of new product lines.
DirectX 12 isn’t even out yet and already holds the potential to dramatically enhance the development world. What do you hope to accomplish with DirectX 12? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook.


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First All-Electric Cadillac Will Be Showcased in April
With many brands steering towards an all-electric future, Cadillac is also set to unveil its first all-electric car. The luxury brand will showcase a midsize crossover in April, 2020, President Steve Carlisle told dealers at the National Auto Dealer Association Convention on Monday.
The vehicle was first teased through a rendering during the XT6 launch at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2019. This Monday, Cadillac President Steve Carlisle told the much-awaited launch would happen in April. The model will be the debut of the brand’s BEV3 project and serve as the base for all its future EVs, which makes it a big deal.
Today, the luxury brand Cadillac sells only internal-combustion vehicles and this crossover is a definite steer towards EV launches from General Motors. It looks as though more unveilings will be coming since the automaker has said that it plans to build 20 EVs globally by 2032.
Previously in 2019, the company had made a pledge that by 2030, the majority of all Cadillac would be electric vehicles. The company seems to be following that plan through. Cadillac describes the new “The Cadillac EV” as its vision for General Motors’ future EV platform. Cadillac will be “at the vanguard of the company’s move toward an electric future.”
The unveiling dates are not exactly clear since we don’t know if the vehicle will have a standalone event, or if it will be launched at the New York Auto Show that will also take place in early April.


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Strong demand for mineral products in Q2 2018
MPA reports strong recovery in sales volumes following adverse weather conditions
ACCORDING to the Mineral Products Association (MPA), construction market demand for mineral products rebounded in the second quarter of 2018, following a very poor first quarter of the year when activity had been affected by the cumulative effects of exceptionally bad weather and the collapse of construction firm Carillion.
Sales of aggregates and ready-mixed concrete increased by 9.2% and 9.8%, respectively, compared with the previous quarter. Asphalt sales rose 11.3% over Q1 2018.
The recovery in sales volumes for these materials is a clear indication that general construction activity also rebounded from the slow start of the year. The Association said any growth in construction work remains heavily linked to housing market activity.
Mortar sales – which also saw a bad weather blip in Q1 2018 – recovered strongly in the second quarter, up 20.9%, underpinned by continued momentum in house building.
The latest MPA quarterly survey shows that the volume of mortar sold in the second quarter of this year was the highest quarterly total since records began in 2004. However, sales volumes of every other material monitored remain well below their pre-recession peak in 2007.
While improvement in construction market demand in Q2 2018 was very welcome, the underlying longer-term trends remain subdued. Sales volumes for all materials, except mortar, were lower in the first half of 2018, compared with the same period last year, as well as on an annual basis.
In the year to June 2018, sales of aggregates were 1.7% lower than the previous year, 3.1% lower for asphalt and 5.4% lower for ready-mixed concrete. By contrast, mortar sales volumes grew by 12.7% over the same period. The longer-term weakening in the mineral products market suggests construction activity outside house building remains subdued.
Regional disparities also show interesting patterns. Sales volumes of asphalt in the first half of 2018 point to positive road activity in the South East and South West. This was offset by declines in the West Midlands, the northern regions of England and most particularly in Scotland, where a number of large transport projects came to an end last year.
Ready-mixed concrete sales by contrast were weaker across all regions of the UK, compared with the first half of 2017. The biggest decline took place in London, which had seen very strong post-recession growth and most likely reflects a slowdown in commercial office building.
Aurelie Delannoy, director of economic affairs at the MPA, commented: ‘We welcome the recovery in sales volumes in the second quarter, but the outlook for this year has not changed and remains subdued. Sales volumes weakened in the past year in line with general construction work.
‘Outside house building, there are limited sources of growth. However, major infrastructure investments, such as High Speed 2, Hinkley Point C and Highways England’s road programme, should provide a boost, most noticeably from 2019 onwards if momentum is sustained.’